clean shop

[debbiej]

ugh. and keep a smile on your face! when we first opened our shop, my daughter and I did all the work. but now there is too much to do, plus I'm older, if not wiser. we do need a retraining, most of the employees we have were hired and trained by my daughter and niece. I need to finish (among other things) job lists, employee handbook and I really like the check off list for shift changes.

 

[Bay Islands Coffee]

My shop is a tiny drive through kiosk in a very busy shopping center. We have a stool in the shop, and I think it is the worst piece of equipment. Personally, I can work a 12 hour shift at my shop and never have to sit down. My Baristas on the other hand, they sit at every opportunity. I use the "time to lean, time to clean" phrase to its ugly death, but my employees will always find more time to lean than to clean. I think a major part of staying on top of your employees is popping in at random times to check on things. I am just as guilty of not doing this as anyone. When I work the morning shift I get off at noon. After that I usually stay busier than a one-armed paper hanger and the last thing I want to do is go back to the shop for fear I may get stuck there for a while. The other negative thing other than not being able to keep up with cleanliness and stocking is that when customers come, and the employee is sitting down, they feel as though they are inconveniencing the employee. That is the last thing I want. It really irks me when I come in at night to pick up the deposit, see a messy store, and see that sales were low that day. To top it all off, the employee knows full well that I am opening in the morning and they don't even have enough respect to have it looking good for me. But of course, they will be expecting their quarterly twenty-five cent raise like clockwork. The moral of the story is that no one is ever going to live up to your expectations of customer service and cleanliness. In this business it is imperative that you work as much as possible. Not only to insure that your shop is staying clean, but to insure that your customers are being treated as you would like them to be.

 

[debbiej]

our state government gave everybody a raise. minimum wage keeps climbing. it is probably a good thing, but honestly, some of the kids have pretty bad attitudes and just don't deserve 7.50 an hour. we used to be able to give raises to our good employees and the less than stellar learned that they had to earn a raise. not a bad idea, really. it is a vicious circle. they don't make enough to exert themselves, I don't make enough to promise raises. in time, maybe.

I HATE the bar stool. used to lock it up in the shed and it would continue to appear. finally I have a staff of employees that halfway understand they cannot sit down while waiting on customers. nor can the do puzzles in the paper, or whatever, while I am paying them.

 

[Hanalei]

We do so much volume that we have a service do the floors three times a week, and my wife or I supervise the closing 365 days a year.

Aloha,

Mark
Hanalei, Hawaii

 

[GOLDENEAGLECOFFEEMAN]

I was doing some work years ago on a friends shop, the Place was
always packed, and none of the workers were cleaning out the Restroom,
which is one of the thing I look at to see if this place is clean

And to my Surprise, the Customers were cleaning off their own tables to
secure a spot, wow, did that blow me away.
The Manager was a Good Food man, and always had the fresh and Best Quality
Everything, but his cleaning skills were lacking, and No one was helping.

I made him a checklist, that required the employee of the day to be on that chore
outside on tables every 30 minutes, people changing everyday, so no one felt like
the bus boy.

We also got him to hire his Nephew for $50 bucks per day on the weekends, when he had the
most biz, he is not spotless, but Vastly improved, Thank God, and now the kid is Happy with the
Clams, and working after school, and we now have clean tables, without getting leftover homemade
ice cream, Fruit, & Mexican Food on our hands.

Rick H.